Every huge artist has their "New Jersey" - a huge event album that ultimately feels a bit hollow & signals a career decline

I'm sort of pinpointing that as the time they started to feel anachronistic.

hmmm...again, not the critical consensus. It's certainly true about Bilingual.

If Wile E. Coyote ever releases an album it'll be a New Jersey

xp That's not how Very seemed then or now. It outperformed Behaviour, and Go West is the PSBs hit for people who don't pay any attention to the PSBs.

Songs of Faith and Devotion for sure. All the Gahan drama behind the scenes added to the sense that the wheels were about to come off.

One of my favourite Wikipedia features BTW is the discography page that shows the sales. They're often counterintuitive - Depeche Mode, for example, have never had a platinum album in the UK - and you really get to see the size of the plunge after a really big album.

Yeah I only noticed that last night, very interesting. It really shows the difference between what we sometimes think of as big (Depeche Mode, The Eagles as a stadium act in the UK) and actually, staggeringly massive (Robbie Williams putting out any old crap and selling 2 million plus, The Eagles going 29x platinum in the US).

Bob Seger- Against the Wind might qualify

i pick once upon a time. sparkle in the rain was critically acclaimed and number one in the u.k. and then don't you forget about me became huge and everyone loved it and then the BIG album came out and everyone bought it because they loved the previous albums or they loved don't you forget about me and after that huge album it took them four years to put out another album and it was all downhill from there. plus, in between albums they put out a big lavish expensive double live album to pat themselves on the back for being so cool on their don't you forget about me tour. and nobody owns once upon a time anymore. and nobody wants to own it. people would much rather own a copy of the breakfast club soundtrack.

just calling back to earlier conversation to agree with everyone big-upping "The Call", especially the Neptunes remix

scott otm

As a Garden State native I find this thread offensive, and suggest this phenomenon be renamed for any of Sufjan Stevens' stupid "state" records.

Pet Shop Boys - Very

**massive engine braking noise, followed by an explosion**

As a Garden State native I find this thread offensive, and suggest this phenomenon be renamed for any of Sufjan Stevens' stupid "state" records.

Yes, any one of those two stupid records that were on like every single "year best" list

As a Garden State native I find this thread offensive, and suggest this phenomenon be renamed for any of Sufjan Stevens' stupid "state" records.

― Hadrian VIII, Wednesday, August 8, 2012 10:06 AM (16 minutes ago) Bookmark

i think we should start calling the big preceding hits everybody loves "New York" albums just to make you more angry

LOL

Yes, any one of those two stupid records that were on like every single "year best" list

― frogbs, Wednesday, August 8, 2012 10:17 AM (11 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Ha there were only two? I thought he was making his whimsy way through all fifty. Anyway, pffft

New poll, best albums named after states

dave matthews band - before these crowded streets

ohhhh yeah good call. DON'T DRINK THE WATER!

alanis guesting on that right after supposed former infatuation junkie was like new jersey synchronicity.

I'm not so convinced SFIJ belongs here - it's just a slumping sophomore album, right? Strong first-week sales on momentum, then completely dropped off the radar.

Before These Crowded Streets MAYbe, although I maintain Crash is their NJ.

the correct title is "Don't Drink The WatEEYAEEYAYEEER"

Crash is definitely their Slippery When Wet, easily their biggest album

Yeah, I was the first to say SFIJ but now I'm doubtful it's really a good example. If memory serves, nobody thought Alanis was poised to become a permanent megastar.

xpost No wayyyyy dude, Under The Table and Dreaming is that. Sold a little less but it's easily the catalog choice for them, and "What Would You Say?" and "Ants Marching" are the long-term radio staples in my experience. Which I'll grant is striking given that the Crash singles generally did way better on release. But that's a New Jersey for you!

But I think I've got a good one: Boston, THIRD STAGE. The return of Boston after the long hiatus was a big deal, to the point that I went to the record store and bought this the day it came out. Sold 4 million and topped the album charts; the lead single, "Amanda," was their only #1! But nowadays Boston is pretty much just thought of as the '70s records, right? I mean, I can still hum "Amanda," and "Cool The Engines" too, but I don't think anybody else can.

good call

xpost No wayyyyy dude, Under The Table and Dreaming is that. Sold a little less but it's easily the catalog choice for them, and "What Would You Say?" and "Ants Marching" are the long-term radio staples in my experience. Which I'll grant is striking given that the Crash singles generally did way better on release. But that's a New Jersey for you!

― Doctor Casino, Wednesday, August 8, 2012 11:05 AM (6 minutes ago) Bookmark

dude, on Spotify's most popular DMB tracks there are four Crash tracks before the most listened to Under The Table track

Third Stage sounds legit to me too.

Elvis Telecom brought up For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge but Van Hagar probably have like three of these records. Consider their Mainstream Rock top-tenners:

Why Can't This Be Love (#1)
Dreams (#6)
Love Walks In (#4)
Black and Blue (#1)
When It's Love (#1) (also Hot 100 #5!)
Finish What Ya Started (#2)
Feels So Good (#6)
Poundcake (#1)
Runaround (#1)
Top of the World (#1)
The Dream Is Over (#7) (lol)
Right Now (#2)
Won't Get Fooled Again (#1)
Don't Tell Me (What Love Can Do) (#1)
Can't Stop Lovin' You (#2)
Amsterdam (#9)

"Why Can't This Be Love" is the only one of those I ever hear. As Wiki succinctly puts it:

Although the four studio albums produced during this period reached No. 1 on the Billboard pop music charts and 17 singles breached the top 12 of the mainstream rock tracks chart, overall sales showed a marked decline with each release selling less than its predecessor.

Like, you open any karaoke binder and like 3/4 of the Van Halen songs are shit you can't remember and that they never play anymore. These guys spent the majority of their career deep in New Jersey.

huh, wow, okay, I may be wrong about the Crash material's staying power then.

so here's my question, what's the BIGGEST SELLING "New Jersey"? Is it "New Jersey"? It's 7 times platinum US, 18m sold worldwide.

While Michael Jackson's Dangerous is his NJ if he has one, I necessarily want to argue he does. but does anything else on these lists count as one? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_albums_worldwide
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_albums_in_the_United_States

haha i mean i DON'T necessarily want to argue he has one

ha wait forgot about backstreet's black & blue that beats it

8m Us, 24m worldwide

Black and Blue Jersey.

I'm guessing ABBA had a New Jersey but I don't know enough about them to say...anyone?

in the US they barely had a 7800 Fahrenheit.

hey, what about the Bee Gee's Spirits Having Flown? Only registered as platinum in the US but 35 million sold world-wide with three #1 hits you don't hear anywhere as much as the Saturday Night Fever stuff.

the Garth Brooks album Sevens I mentioned yesterday was 10x platinum

but no fences was 17X and ropin' the wind was 14X

btw has their ever been an artist that sold THAT MANY records and just dominated his genre that's been as forgotten as quickly as garth brooks?

maybe Hammer/Vanilla Ice but yeah

Garth Brooks is the New Jersey of artists

except that he does get played on country radio still, at least "Thunder Rolls" & "Friends in Low Places" & "Two of a Kind"

"That Summer" is a jam

he's still played in country stations here. He'd seem less ephemeral if he kept recording music.

garth brooks hasn't really been forgotten has he? He just semi-retired. Dude had a song debut at #1 on the country chart in 2007 from a hits comp. He also got to sing at the Obama inauguration.

maybe Hammer/Vanilla Ice but yeah

― some dude, Wednesday, August 8, 2012 10:51 AM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yeah i guess hammer even more so....he's more comparable to garth because he had multiple successful albums....vanilla ice was destined to be more of a one hit wonder and those guys can't really new jersey by definition.

Sly & The Family Stone - Fresh

^ that's the kind of album where i get the logic but you're really going to have a hard time getting everyone to agree it "ultimately feels a bit hollow"